In The Case That We Were Wrong
by Fahiru
Summary: Yuri Andreievich Zhivago may have been passive by nature, but he certainly wasn't stupid. A story written for the purpose of saving Pavel Antipov and Antonina Zhivago from the unnecessary fates brought about by their spouses' terrible and completely irrational decisions.


**(Quick Note: List of characters, their relationships, and diminutives((nicknames)) can be found at the end of the author's note)**

In The Case That We Were Wrong

By Fahiru

Since the thaw of late Spring, Yuri Andreievich had journeyed to the library in Yuriatin quite often. He read poetry and philosophy, often looking for volumes of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy that he had neglected, as well as a fresher copy of Pushkin's Evgenii Onegin, as his family's own was increasingly worn. Tonia had lately wanted to read sweeter things than failed love, and had made a specific request to have readings of Autumn as well as Onegin, which caused him to suspect she would soon inform them all that she was carrying their second child. Yuri had been having a difficult time finding an inclusive compilation that was not already taken, and so decided to surprise her by writing a piece of the same title himself.

As he sat at an unoccupied table in the corner of the library, he was suddenly aware of a familiar presence. Glancing up, he saw a woman seated across the room who was mumbling over a volume on education, likely the standards for teaching in the new Soviet schooling system. After watching for a moment longer, he recognized her to be none other than Larissa Feodorovna, the nurse whose acquaintance he had made during the great war.

He considered speaking with her, but eventually decided that he must first finish his poem for Tonia before inspiration left him. He leaned over the page and began to write.

Yuri lifted his head, waking from the dreamlike stupor induced by his creation, just to see that Lara was no longer there at the library.

He took his books to the counter, glancing over the list of frequent library goers to see that Lara was among them, recorded to be living "across from the house with figures". He considered seeing her, but as he stepped out into the brisk and fading afternoon, he felt a longing to see Tonia, and an eagerness to present his poem. He glanced in the direction of Lara's house, feeling a bit guilty for not immediately alerting his old associate of his presence, but soon let the feeling escape him as he headed back to Varykino, trying to guess what sort of face Tonia would give him in exchange for his present.

Upon Yuri's return, after he had brushed down and fed his horse, he retrieved some firewood for the stove before entering the house. He passed Alexander Alexandrovich who was entertaining Sashenka on the rug with some toys that had been haphazardly whittled out of wood. He came to the kitchen and found Tonia, leaning over the stove and stirring the contents of a battered pot. Her face was strained, strands of hair sticking to her temples with the sweat that had collected there. She heard him enter, and turned to give him a tired but sincere smile. She looked down to see the load of firewood that he had thought to bring in.

"Yurochka! How sweet you are!"

Yuri grinned at her. "No more sweetness than what is expected of my role."

"Even in these times, I hear consideration is scarce. Though you see yourself as the supporting cast, you never cease to prove to me that you are none but a very prince among men." Here Tonia, having already left the pot to simmer, wiped the condensation droplets from her hands and gave her husband a tender kiss.

Yuri was tired from his long ride, and as he kissed his wife, he couldn't help but contemplate in the back of his mind how very glad he was that he had not hesitated to come home. He did not mind the company of Larissa Feodorovna, but there are days for friends, and then there are days when we must return to those for which we care the most.

In the next few weeks, Yuri was given the opportunity to introduce Tonia and Lara to one another, from which a fast friendship was formed. Many afternoons they spent visiting with Lara and Katenka, discussing the civil war, the availability of food, and interpretations of literature.

"...So who's to say that Tatyana's love had a tragic outcome?" Yuri concluded, setting down his teacup.

Lara started to protest, "Of course it was tragic! She still loved Onegin, yet was forced to live without him!"

"She wasn't forced," Tonia contradicted, "in an age of adultery, she decided to stay faithful to her husband. Whether this was to spite Onegin or fulfill her duty, her attractions to him where inferior to her other motivations. Thus, we must conclude that she never really had felt real love for him, but was blinded by infatuation."

"But her feelings were so passionate! So pure!"

Yuri stepped in once more. "But once you think about it, passionate love has pinnacles and valleys, while the love that is lasting is not nearly as colorful. In observation of our predecessors' experience; what is the point of a passionate love, which seems to fog the mind and isolate the consciousness? Whereas a steady love will enhance the senses and bring about increased appreciation and understanding."

Tonia gave a light laugh. "And here it seems that the topic has shifted from Pushkin to Tolstoy. You have been quite taken with Anna Karenina as of late."

Lara furrowed her brow. "In that I would have to agree with you. Levin and Kitty left me much more refreshed than what became of Vronsky and Anna Arkadyevna."

Tonia nodded as Yuri glanced down at Katenka to notice that the poor girl's eyes had begun to glaze over. Swallowing, he nudged his wife, who took the hint and changed the subject.

"How is your father, Katenka? Have you been hearing from him?"

Katenka's face lit up a bit as she looked up to answer Tonia.

"Papa came to see us just yesterday!"

Yuri raised an eyebrow, turning back to Lara. "Strelnikov did?"

Lara looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, yes. Pasha has been by..."

"Why didn't you tell me? You know what he risked to see you, aren't you a bit more excited?"

She looked down at the carpet. "Well, he wasn't quite so..."

Yuri was conflicted. He had never had a good impression of Pasha Pavelevich and was usually on Lara's side in all things, but he couldn't help but feel more than a bit annoyed at Lara's hesitant nature. As Tonia continued to converse with the enthusiastic Katenka, he took Lara aside so that the little girl could not hear.

"Lara, isn't this the man whose praises you consistently spouted a mere few days ago?"

"Yes, but...Oh Yura, he's so different from before!"

"Different? In how many ways?"

"Oh...he's just quite a bit taller than before, and so much more assertive... It's fine loving a man like that from afar, but to have to face him! It's cruel to ask such things!"

Yuri was becoming concerned.

"Lara, what is the most important thing in the world to Antipov?"

"Why, me and Katenka of course!"

"What sort of hell has he gone through all these years just to get back to you?"

"I suppose more desolation than even we encountered at the field hospital..."

Yuri grimaced, "I assure you, he's had to sludge through more blood than contained in all the population of Yuriatin. Does your husband enjoy death?"

"He abhors it, why would he enjoy such a thing? He's an intellectual for goodness sake."

Yuri sat back. "If he's as sweet a soul as you've often claimed, why would he enjoy anything that he's done since he left for the German front?"

Lara bore on her lovely face a concentrated expression of confusion. "I...I don't know. Why would Pasha do such things?"

Yuri spoke to her gently, "Isn't it because he wanted to win back the only things in this world for which he cares?"

Lara quickly looked up at him.

Yuri cleared his throat and continued, "And you Lara? What is it in this world that you hold most dear?"

Lara gave him an empty smile. "Why of course it's-"

"Don't lie to me Lara," He interjected, "I do not exaggerate when I tell you this is very important, perhaps to the point of life and death. What is it in this world that holds the greatest value for you?"

Lara stared at him for a long time, her eyes eventually welling up and then spilling over. She sniffed and reached for him, but Yuri retreated from her. "Do not seek the embrace of a married man, Lara, but instead cling to your own flesh and blood," he gestured to Katenka, "Look at how she smiles at the thought of her father, look how loyal she is to this man for whom you've only put on a show of regard. Where do your own loyalties lie, Lara? Do you seek to save your husband, who at this very moment is having his own death plotted by the men he serves, or do you only seek whatever will give you the most immediate comfort?"

Yuri left the dumbstruck woman, going to his own wife and taking her hand, leading her out of the unfortunate house. Tonia protested a bit, but soon allowed him to lead her as he would.

Antonina Alexandrovna went to see Katenka and Lara quite often, but Yuri could not bring himself to even look upon the house of Larissa Feodorovna, and would wait at the library for Tonia's return. At first she protested that he should be seeing Lara as well, but he gently refused the opportunity and let Tonia go alone. On rare occasions, Lara would bring Katenka to Varykino to play with Sashenka, but at these times Yuri would be busy stocking firewood, or caring for the animals, or locked away in his study, writing poetry for hours on end, sometimes even pretending to be inspired just until Larissa Feodorovna was forced to return home.

Yuri would have felt a bit ashamed of this avoidance under normal circumstances, however he felt this particular case to be justified. But soon, he would not have to worry about Lara at all.

Alexander Alexandrovich was called away to Moscow.

Yuri had not been apart from Moscow for long, but his time without her had felt endless. His new found appreciation for the city was partially rooted in the fact that it was a safe haven from Antipova. Larissa Feodorovna had become a great worry to him, and although he hated to admit it, he was very glad to have parted ways once more.

The young Zhivago knew that there were many men who would have leaped at the chance to comfort an incredibly beautiful woman such as Lara, and there was a time in the past when he himself might have done so as well, but not anymore. In the short time that Yuri had lived in Varykino, he had grown incredibly close to Tonia, finding himself filled with an unspeakable longing to aid her every need as well as to do small, hidden, and usually unnecessary tasks in the attempt to make her own position as housewife more comfortable. When Yuri saw Larissa Feodorovna reaching for him, he could really only see his very own Tonia relying on another man; a thought which filled him with a deep and troubled rage, and more than a little hurt. Yuri did not want to see his Tonia with another man, and he wanted no other woman as he wanted Tonia.

In all sincerity, Yuri Andreievich was relieved to leave Russia. It was true that he had loved the motherland very much, but it was no longer a place in which he could live. Indeed, the Russia he had adored had been wiped from the face of the Earth, no longer a protective bear but a savage wolf turning on its own.

The change in environment was not difficult to adapt to. Having grown up among the intelligentsia, Zhivago was very familiar with French and could still speak it quite fluently, though he had a tendency to alternate between this and Russian to ensure that neither his son nor newborn daughter would forget their roots, should the homeland ever become inhabitable once more.

Alexander Alexandrovich had many fond acquaintances in their new country and was able to quickly find a well paying position for his son-in-law at a prestigious hospital. However, his place of work not being affordable to many people, Yuri was left with ample time to indulge in his artistic desires and write countless poems, some of which he would discard while others he submitted to local publishers. Indeed, he had been feeling no shortness of inspiration in the company of Tonia, who continued to motivate him through her own sweet and persevering nature.

Around the arrival of Yuri Zhivago's third child, another son, he received a letter that had been smuggled from Russia. At first he was a bit puzzled at the title of the sender, until he recognized the real name of the man contacting him.

"_**My Dear Yuri Andreievich,**_

"_**I'm sure you must be shocked and bit alarmed by the presence of this note, though I would not blame you as I have made an attempt or two to eliminate you in the past. I will make no secret of the fact that I did not like you on realization that you were acquainted with my wife, but I have up till recently been in the habit of disliking any male who glanced her way other than myself. When I last, or should I say first, met you I had every intention of killing you whether or not I could get away with it, even if it was not at that very moment, but I daresay you will be relieved to find that I have lost interest in the matter of whatever fortune befalls you.**_

"_**Rather than hating you as vehemently as I have been, I feel I should humble myself a bit and ask your forgiveness. I am not a very open man, as you may know, not with most; but I feel that in you I can confide this small bit of happiness that has blessed my life. Lara has told me she loves me. My wife has told me this a good many times before, but it had always been the sort of affection given to a naïve child, not a man, and she was always rather withdrawn from me. I have felt in the past that any love she would give me was out of obligation.**_

"_**I love my wife. I love her as you must love yours, for she has revealed to me that you withdrew from her advances. I would never wish Lara to be unfaithful to me, but I had always been a bit expectant of it, because I did not feel to be the man she deserved. However, I believe that it is due to your actions that my Lara has begun to see me. In truth, I do not want her to see me in all my bloodstained shame and bitterness, yet I feel as if this is a season from which I myself may be transitioning. Perhaps, maybe in time, I can become a man worthy of the life I was given, and it is because of this hopeful thought that I think I no longer hate and envy you as I once did. **_

"_**I do not know what you have hoped to accomplish in your time, Yuri Andreievich, but I will take a chance in assuming that you are as human as I, and though in different ways, you do not wish for your time on this Earth to be insignificant. By the time this letter reaches you, if ever, I should have hopefully moved my family across Siberia, and while my own time may very well be running short, I hope that you do not waste yours. That is a very good life that you have been given, Zhivago, and I hope very much that you use it wisely.**_

"_**-Pavel Pavelevich Antipov"**_

As Yuri set down the letter he could hear Tonia calling him from the next room.

"Yura, we simply cannot put this off any longer. The child's near a week old and we've yet to name him. Have you decided yet?"

Yuri felt an odd lurch in his heartbeat, though not as sour as usual. He couldn't help but smile a bit as he leaned around the door frame. "How's Pavel?"

"Good as any, I suppose, but I did not mean for you to name him whatever flew through your head. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

A/N: I apologize if this seems a bit touchy-feely, but this book needed a serious shape up. When having to read Doctor Zhivago for Academic Decathlon, I couldn't help but wonder how many people would have been better off if only Yuri had not had an affair with Lara. Seriously, his relationship with her totally came out of the blue. I also felt very little chemistry between them, whilst Yuri seemed extremely happy with Tonia those few years that they spent in Varykino. I know that not all marriages work out this way, and excuse me for stating the facts, but the definition of marriage is not to just be faithful when you feel like it. I do not support the "great romance" between Yuri and Lara as it did not seem all that great and everything about it just felt capricous(can't even be called compulsive, it was so abruptly random) and wrong.

Also, I am well aware that Yuri's poem titled "Autumn" was written during his time with Lara. I know, I read the book with my eyes open, okay? This is a fan fiction. However, I am comforted by the fact that very few people will bother to read this and thus even less of them will bother to respond and argue. Though I do enjoy a good lively debate.

In the case that my readers have forgotten the characters or are simply reading this out of curiosity without prior knowledge, I here provide a list of characters, their relationships, and diminutives.

**Yuri Andreievich Zhivago(Yura, Yurochka), Protagonist**

**Antonina Alexandrovna Zhivago( Tonia), Wife of Yuri**

**Alexander Alexandrovich Gromeko, Father of Tonia**

**Sasha Yurievich(? Patronymic not mentioned in the novel) Zhivago(Sashenka) Son of Tonia and Yuri**

**Larissa Feodorovna Antipov(Lara), Wife of Pavel, in the novel had an affair with Yuri**

**Katenka Pavelevna Antipov(unknown to Fahiru whether or not Katenka is her real name or a diminutive) Daughter of Lara and Pavel**

**Pavel Pavelevich Antipov(Pasha, alias under the Communist Regime; Strelnikov) Husband of Lara**


End file.
